Originally posted by 49ersRednGold:
Originally posted by OnTheClock:
... But quite feasibly at guard, rather than center.
In case you didn't read the name of who's posting this and just assumed because the word "Heitmann" was in the title, that this is a MadDog post, this is in fact not MadDog. So please, feel free to hate on me instead. Fling mud. Cry. Scream. Kick yourself into a circle on the floor. Whatever makes you feel better.
But to the point -- let's be real folks, regardless of what Baas does, Heitmann has proven himself far too valuable a player to keep on he bench. He has three Bob McKittrick awards for a reason. For those who have forgotten, Heitmann started his career at guard and played very well there. Chilo Rachal has not lived up to expectations thus far, and now he's hurt. Considering the fact that we've already started making changes, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Heitmann in there at guard if they like Baas too much to pull him. Rachal is running out of time.
Another option is Heitmann returning to center, and Baas sliding over to guard, but if the team chemistry continues to grow, the first option I mentioned previously would probably be the better way to go.
Let's not even talk about Adam Snyder.. He's the last option in all of this.
All this "Heitmann is losing his spot" stuff means next to nothing. With a struggling Rachal, an extremely mediocre Snyder, and not to mention Baas' injury history, I think we can bank on Heitmann starting again -- somewhere -- this season.
I wholeheartedly agree with this post. The only weak link I can see in our line is RG and if we insert Heitmann there, our line will be rock solid. Heitmann has been a model of consistency since he's been in the league and given his smarts and work ethic, I have no doubt he will smoothly make the transition back to guard.
Snyder did have a good game, but 1) he is more valuable as the 6th offensive lineman because of his versatility and 2) he does not have the consistency and skills to be a starter in this league. I believe the coaches came to this conclusion last year which is why we drafted our starting LG and RT in the first round.
Exactly. Snyder is kind of just the last guy in the rotation at every spot. If I recall, Boone is even listed ahead at RT.
It's going to be very interesting to see what they do when Heitmann is healthy. I just don't think they'll be able to place him on the bench. A guy like that, who you know could upgrade the line, especially at RG, you can't keep him out of games.
We're not overvaluing Heitmann here, we're just talking about what's best for the team overall. Although at the same time, I think Heitmann is very much one of the most underrated players on the team and has been for quite some time.